Deputy Chief of Operations

Klamath County Fire District 1

143 N. Broad Street

Klamath Falls, OR 97601

The current annual salary range for this position is $-$. Salary placement is de-pendent upon experience and qualifications.

Candidates will initially be screened based on their qualifications for this position as evidenced by their education and experience.

Final date to receive applications:
October 18th, 2026
* Assessment Center Date:
November 19th, 2026
Chiefs Interview (Successful & Invited):
Tentatively November 20th, 2026

* Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates selected to progress to the assessment center will be notified as soon as possible to allow sufficient time for travel arrangements, particularly for those traveling from outside the area.

The Deputy Chief of Operations is a key member of Klamath County Fire District 1's Executive Leadership Team, reporting directly to the Fire Chief and providing strategic leadership for emergency response operations, organizational culture, and operational excellence. Beyond emergency response, the Deputy Chief fosters a culture of leadership, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvement. The role includes developing future leaders, building strong labor and community partnerships, supporting data-driven decision-making, and maintaining operational readiness through effective training, performance management, and resource deployment.

The Deputy Chief oversees the planning and coordination of the District's fire and EMS operations, ensuring compliance, effective resource management, and strong personnel development. The Operations Division provides all-hazards emergency services, including fire suppression, EMS, ambulance transport, technical rescue, hazardous materials response, wildland firefighting, and incident management.

This is a full-time, 40 hours a week, Monday-Friday position; however, this position participates in the Duty Chief Rotation and evening and weekend work is required. This is a uniformed, salaried position and frequently results in working greater than 40 hours a week.

• 100% Employer paid Medical/Dental/Vision (employee & family)
• Voluntary Long & Short Term Disability Insurance
• Employer paid Life and AD&D Insurance - Policy Value of $20K
• Voluntary Accident/Hospital/Cancer Coverage
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA-VEBA) employer contribution ($1,401- $6,495 annually)
• Flexible Spending Accounts FSA Medical and Dependent Care

• Vacation is accrued  hours per month/ 224 per year
• Sick leave/PTO is accrued at 12 hours per month
• 40 hours per year personal leave
• 10 compensated holidays per year

• Vehicle provided
• Cell phone provided

• Oregon Public Employee Retirement System (PERS); employer pickup of 6% employee contribution
• Deferred compensation (Section 457b Plan) for employee's retirement planning- optional

• Application Review
• Onsite Skills Assessment Center
• Onsite Panel Interview - (scored)
• Chiefs Interview (if invited)
• Conditional Offer
  * pre-screenings
• Final offer

To qualify for this position, you will need three (3) years of supervisory experience with at least one (1) year as an AIC Battalion Chief or Battalion Chief, or equivalent. Eight (8) years paid full-time emergency response experience with a paid or combination fire agency of equal or greater size complexity.

Basic working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Excel, Fire/EMS reporting and staffing systems and the ability to operate within a networked environment.

Education:

An Associate or Bachelor's degree in Fire, Business or EMS Administration or closely related field.
* A…